Outing Report - 25-27 March 2022, Taroom Camp

This post is adapted from a number of reports in the Toowoomba Field Naturalists Club newsletter by different authors, as well as the blog administrator.

Toowoomba Field Naturalists at Taroom
Caravan Park in the early morning light

The Taroom Campout was a great success, thanks to the excellent program put together by Melanie Simmons with help from Tricia Allen, Ann Hobson and others, combined with the interesting natural history of the region, particularly after a wet summer which filled the wetlands and favoured an abundance of plant and animal life. No matter where we stopped there were birds or butterflies, spiders or dragonflies. As we travelled from one site to another kangaroos, wallabies, emus and birds of prey were seen in the paddocks or by the roadside. The good season meant the wetlands were full of water and therefore birds, and the grass was almost waist high; ideal for insects.

Roadside Ooline

There was a smorgasbord of treats but one of the highlights was the Oolines (Cadellia pentastylis), listed as ‘vulnerable’. They are the only species in the genus. Unfortunately, their preferred environment is in relatively fertile soil, so their original, much more extensive, habitat has been largely cleared for food production.

We saw some splendid, tall examples of this beautiful tree in a healthy strip of roadside scrub, which has been preserved thanks to the efforts of local man Adam Clark and others who fought successfully to defend it from destruction by road works. Oolines are tall straight trees with pretty, bright green foliage. Clearing of adjacent scrub leaves them standing alone and seems to result inevitably in their deaths, so preservation of the whole ecosystem was important for the Oolines themselves, as well as all the other things that live there. 

Over the three days we visited a number of the shallow lakes and seasonal streams in the Palm Tree and Robinson Creek wetlands area: Lake Murphy, Robinson Creek, Milky Swamp, Chain of Lagoons, as well as other unnamed ones. During good seasons these creeks and lagoons are full but they can dry out in twelve months. This makes for an abundance of flora and fauna in the good times.  

The edges of Lake Murphy were underwater, so the more adventurous amongst us tramped through the swamp for a clear view of the many waterbirds swimming or wading around the lake. 

Dawson River Fan Palm
(Livistonia nitida)

The lake-side vegetation is dominated by an overstorey of Forest Red Gums (Eucalyptus tereticornis) and Dawson Fan Palms (Livistonia nitida). We were lucky enough to see this latter plant in full fruit, with its beautiful clusters of large, shiny black fruits. They will be eaten by birds and fruit bats, which will help create the next generation of fan palms by spreading the seeds. The palms are predominantly found in wetlands and along creek lines. 

While visiting a property to view other magnificent trees we passed through a paddock of Common Nardoo (Marsilea drummondii).  It occurs in abundance after floods.

Walking through the nardoo.

The sporocarp of the nardoo is used for food by Australian Aborigines, who roast and grind them to powder which they mix with water to make a dough. Consumption of large amounts of, and/or incorrectly prepared nardoo can cause thiamine deficiency. It has been known to poison sheep, as well as humans, and perhaps for the deaths of Burke and Wills on their fated expedition.

Another highlight was the boggomosses. It was a surprise to some of us, to find out that there are artesian mound springs in the Taroom area. “Boggomoss” is a local word for these springs. We visited three of the mound springs, each one different to the next in its flora and insect fauna.

At the boggomosses

The first was distinguished by tall wands of Purple Loosestrife (Lythrium salicaria) projecting from a mass of ferns, surrounded by Phragmites reeds and a variety of other water loving plants. Many butterflies, including Orchard Swallowtails (Papilio aegeus), Chequered Swallowtails (Papilio demolius), Wanderers (Danaus plexippus) and Lesser Wanderers (Danaus chrysippus) were feeding on the Loosestrife and Milkweed (Asclepias sp.), on and around the mound. 

Emergent white-flowering Leptospermum shrubs (species not determined), instead of Purple Loosestrife, projected from the third boggomoss mound. A large fallen eucalypt, still alive by virtue of one root buried deep in the wet, peaty bog, projected into the center of the mound allowing us close access, with a family of Red-backed Fairy-wrens (Malurus menanocephalus), to the luxuriant central vegetation. The boggomoss mound springs represent part of the Springsure Group of the Great Artesian Basin springs. They form a chain of moist oases for plant, invertebrate and bird life in an otherwise dry woodland environment. When looked at from a distance, free water is not obvious in the boggy springs, but once a curious visitor steps inside the perimeter of the peaty mound, each footprint soon fills with water and a trickle of clear spring water could be found on the downhill side of each of the boggomosses we visited. 

Spotted Bowerbird Bower
with snail shells

On Sunday afternoon, we split into two groups; one group returned to Milky Swamp, the other visited Carraba Conservation Park, on the Taroom - Roma Road. Richard Moffatt, a local farmer and landowner, kindly showed us around the park. He pointed out that Carraba exists because the land was part of the Queensland Stock Route, so was never cleared - it is still close to virgin softwood scrub, with relatively little weed incursion. We were lucky to spot a Bearded Dragon (Pogona barbata) sitting very quietly in the leaf litter hoping not to be noticed, while the botanists examined and identified the very healthy-looking softwood trees and shrubs. Clearing leave them standing alone

On the way back to Taroom, Richard showed us the bower of a Spotted Bowerbird (Chlamydera maculata), near Carraba. The bowerbird obviously had a predilection for carefully arranged bleached land-snail shells – there were hundreds! These land snails are probably a close relative of the Boggomoss Snail (Adclarkia dawsonensis), a critically endangered camaenid snail that prefers to live in deep damp leaf litter around the base of eucalypts and sandpaper figs in riparian Brigalow communities between Taroom and Theodore in the Dawson Valley. Members of this land-snail family feed on decaying organic matter, microalgae and fungi. The national recovery plan for the conservation of the Boggomoss Snail includes protection of vital boggomoss habitats from weeds, fires and cattle grazing. 

Krefft's River Turtle
(Emydura macquarii krefftii)

The other group also had a wonderful afternoon. Horsfield's Bushlark and Black Falcon being birds of the day. Along one of the back roads they came across a fine specimen of a Krefft's River Turtle (Emydura macquarii krefftii).

Our wonderful weekend outing to the Taroom region concluded with a presentation after dinner by Melanie, of some of the wild and wonderful places we didn’t have time to visit in the Upper Dawson Valley, whetting the group’s appetite for a return visit. 

All photos taken by Toowoomba Field Naturalist Club members.

Taroom Fauna

The following lists are a compilation for the whole weekend from members observations.

Amphibians – 2 species: Green Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea), Cane Toad (Rhinella marina).

Birds – 104 species: Emu, Brown Quail, Plumed Whistling-Duck, Black Swan, Australian Wood Duck, Pink-eared Duck, Pacific Black Duck, Grey Teal, Chestnut Teal, Australasian Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Crested Pigeon, Peaceful Dove, Bar-shouldered Dove, Nightjar sp., Eurasian Coot, Brolga, Straw-necked Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Nankeen Night-Heron, White-necked Heron, Great Egret, Intermediate Egret, White-faced Heron, Little Egret, Little Pied Cormorant, Little Black Cormorant, Pied Cormorant, Australasian Darter, Pied Stilt, Masked Lapwing, Southern Boobook, Pacific Baza, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Whistling Kite, Black Kite, Nankeen Kestrel, Australian Hobby, Black Falcon, Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo, Cockatiel, Galah, Little Corella, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Red-rumped Parrot, Pale-headed Rosella, Rainbow Lorikeet, Musk Lorikeet, Australian King-Parrot, Red-winged Parrot, Pheasant Coucal, Sacred Kingfisher, Laughing Kookaburra, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Rainbow Bee-eater, Dollarbird, Spotted Bowerbird, Variegated Fairy-wren, Superb Fairy-wren, Red-backed Fairy-wren, White-throated Gerygone, Speckled Warbler, Weebill, Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Yellow Thornbill, Striated Pardalote, Brown Honeyeater, Blue-faced Honeyeater, White-throated Honeyeater, Striped Honeyeater, Little Friarbird, Noisy Friarbird, Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater, Singing Honeyeater, White-plumed Honeyeater, Noisy Miner, Grey-crowned Babbler, Varied Sittella, Australasian Figbird, Rufous Whistler, Grey Shrike-thrush, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, Australian Magpie, Pied Butcherbird, Grey Butcherbird, Black-faced Woodswallow, White-breasted Woodswallow, Willie Wagtail, Grey Fantail, Spangled Drongo, Restless Flycatcher, Magpie-lark, Torresian Crow, White-winged Chough, Apostlebird, Jacky Winter, Horsfield's Bushlark, Welcome Swallow, Common Myna, Mistletoebird, Double-barred Finch, Plum-headed Finch, House Sparrow. 

Lepidoptera: Butterflies – 15 species: Yellow Palm Dart (Cephrenes trichopepla), Orchard Swallowtail (Papilio aegeus), Chequered Swallowtail (Papilio demoleus), Clearwing Swallowtail (Cressida cressida), White Migrant (Catopsilia pyranthe), Large Grass Yellow (Eurema hecabe), Small Grass Yellow (Eurema smilax), Caper White (Anaphaeis java), Wanderer (Danaus plexippus), Lesser Wanderer (Danaus chrysippus), Common Eggfly (Hypolimnas bolina), Meadow Argus (Junonia villida), Blue Argus (Junonia orithya), Glasswing (Acraea andromacha), Common Grass Blue (Zizina Otis) Moths: - 1 species Scopula agnes (no common name).

Dragonflies – 4 species: Black-headed Skimmer (Crocothemis nigrifrons), Scarlet Percher (Diplacodes haematodes), Blue Skimmer (Orthetrum caledonicum), Common Glider (Tramea loewii).

Mammals – 4 species: Whiptail or Pretty-faced Wallaby (Notamacropus parryi), Red-necked Wallaby (Notamacropus rufogriseus), Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus), Swamp Wallaby (Wallabia bicolor). 

Reptiles – 3 species: Bearded Dragon (Pogona sp.), Black-headed Python (Aspidites melanocephalus), Krefft's River Turtle (Emydura macquarii krefftii).

Spiders – 9 species: Australian Jewel Spider (Austracantha minax), Golden Orb-Weaver (Trichonephila edulis), Leaf-curling Spider (Phonognatha graeffei), a wolf spider (family Lycosidae), White-spotted Sandalodes or Wattle Jumping Spider (Sandalodes scopifer), Humped Silver Orb Spider (Leucauge dromedaria), Long-jawed Spider (Tetragnatha sp.), Dewdrop Spider (Argyrodes antipodianus), Crab Spider (family Thomisidae).

Wasps - 1 species: Blue Flower Wasp (Scolia verticalis).